ITK C204: Minus

My name is Threep, a maiden of Lord Bacchus.

What’s a Maiden of Bacchus, you ask? Let me explain.
We are maidens who serve the great demigod, Bacchus, the ruler of alcohol.

Huh?
That doesn’t explain things?
I suppose I’ll talk about it in more detail.

Lord Bacchus is a half-god and half-man who has existed for thousands of years, spending all his life drinking, searching and developing good alcohol by himself.
However, satisfying himself isn’t enough. He wants to spread the marvel of alcohol to more people regardless of their race, so he brews alcohol and distributes it everywhere he travels.
Still, such a large-scale movement cannot be carried out by one person alone.

That’s where we Maidens of Bacchus come in.

We follow Lord Bacchus’ instructions to brew alcohol and then spread out to peddle in various places.
Apparently, there are thousands of us scattered all over the earth, but we’re so widely distributed that even we fail to grasp the exact number.

And I, Threep, am one of his Maidens born in a deserted village far from the old Human Kingdom.
I had a lot of siblings, but my parents had a hard time making ends meet due to a series of poor harvests, so they forced me to join the Order of Bacchus as a way to cut down on their expenses.

Many other Maidens of Bacchus have had such a background.

The land was becoming infertile due to the side effects of the thaumaturgy magic yet the taxes only kept on increasing.
There was no end to the number of infants who could no longer be supported due to life’s struggles.

For such poor families, the Order of Bacchus was the perfect place to send their children.
We’re probably called Maidens of Bacchus most likely because women are more likely to join the order than men.

We charge for the alcohol we brew and distribute it to make a living.

It is all thanks to Lord Bacchus that we’ve managed to live until today despite our parents and villages giving up on us.

---

One day, I received a message from Lord Bacchus.
It seemed to be addressed to all the Maidens of Bacchus around the world.

—Calling all those who will accompany me to paradise!
—Once there, all your wishes will come true!
—Good food, good shelter!
—Gather round, Maidens who wish to brew with me in the best environment!
—This isn’t bogus! I repeat, not bogus!

My first impression of it was…

Dubious. Very dubious.
It’s way too fishy.

However, it’s a direct appeal from Lord Bacchus, so I shouldn’t be having any doubts.
Still, now that the war between the human race and the demon race has ended, I’m worried about how it would affect our business.

I’ve decided to take the plunge and accept Lord Bacchus’ offer.

---

When I went to the designated place, I found about fourteen to fifteen maidens who had also responded to the appeal.

“I told you it was not bogus!”

Lord Bacchus seems satisfied with the number of applicants.

Then, this is where our series of surprises begins.
A dragon has come to pick us up.

“AHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

All of the Maidens, including me, shrieked loudly.
Some even fainted with bubbles foaming at their mouth.

Dragons are one of the most terrifying beings in the world.
A mere human would be sent straight to their grave just by entering their field of vision.

But the very same dragon…
Grabbed us…
And flew in the sky!

I didn’t feel alive the entire time we were in the air.
It definitely shortened my life span.
I thought we’d ascend to heaven, but we landed on the ground again.

Is this our destination?
It’s a tranquil place with fields spreading as far as the eye can see. The crops growing in them are incomparably lusher and healthier than the ones in the Human Kingdom.

They look absolutely appetizing.
This alone already astonished me, but there was something even more astonishing than this.

Monsters are tending the fields.

Orcs and goblins.
Aren’t they anthropomorphic, savage beasts used as soldiers who attack human settlements, steal everything, massacre the males, and rape the females under the demons’ command?!

“…Oh, you must be the new person living here. Nice to meet you.”

Pardon?!

“N-Nice to meet you too?”
“We’re so glad to hear that you’re going to be in charge of the alcohol brewing! We just have so many things to do, you see. That makes you a fellow farm friend from now on!”
“I-Is that so?”
“Let’s all cooperate and support the farm!”

I was impressed by how friendly they were.

They’re so polite with their language. It’s as if the human race is nothing but a bunch of uncivilized hooligans compared to them.
For example, drunk geezers would just go to a random place and take a piss out in the open.
But! I don’t think the monsters here would do such a thing! They’re true gentlemen!

---

…Anyway, this is how our farm life began.

Our work here is almost the same as before.
All we do is brew alcohol.

However, the working environment is completely different, almost like heaven on earth.
And this farm is exactly that.

The architecture of the houses is completely different from the typical miserable shacks in the former Human Kingdom which are just made of lined-up wood.
A beautiful building that looks like a villa of royalty and titled nobility was offered to us as our lodging, built by the orcs in no time at all.

“It’s only natural since we’ll be living together.”

Everything this orc says is so manly.

They said the floor is made of a material called tatami or something which can be comfortably slept on, unlike the houses in the Human Kingdom built directly into the ground.
The structure is solid with no gaps for drafts.

But these aren’t the only amazing things.

The daily meals are delicious.
Tonkatsu, pepper steak, omelet rice, okonomiyaki, and so on.
They’re all food I’ve never had before!

We even get to soak in a hot spring after a long day of work and drink perfectly chilled satyr milk afterward, the highest-quality milk of all!
We also get to pet adorable dogs that happen to pass by now and then.

…This is all too luxurious.
Not even kings live in this kind of luxury.

Lord Bacchus was right.
This is paradise.

I’ve made up my mind.
I will stay here until I die.
I’m going to brew alcohol for the people of this farm until my very last breath!
This must have been my life’s purpose all along!

---

And so, I’ve been working hard at brewing alcohol…
But encountered a problem right away.

Lord Bacchus and Lord Saint are collaborating to make a new brew but there are just so many kinds that the warehouse isn’t enough to store them all.
Just when we were stumped, the orcs came to our rescue.

“Please leave that to us.”

Mr. Orc and his group built two more warehouses in no time flat.
How reliable!

“It’s a pleasure helping you out in whatever way we can.”

Oh, stop it, you manly orc!
You’re making me fall for you!

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